What Even Is a Trimester?

So here’s the situation: You’re on a phone call with your extremely well-meaning grandma, who you meant to call many weeks ago but now finally have the time to call. She’s asking about your friends and classes, and you answer in vague generalities because she’ll never meet these people anyway. You ask her about her church ladies and if that distant cousin finally had her baby (the answer is no, but in your mind, this cousin has been pregnant for years).

The call goes well, you tell her you’re looking forward to seeing her in March, and your grandma says, “I’m so glad your semester is going well!”

Now, dear reader. You have a choice to make. Your grandma knows very well that you go to Carleton College, but does she know that one of the most special things about this college of yours is the trimester system? Is she aware of the plethora of opportunities that the trimester system offers to Carleton students? I think not!

If you ever find yourself in this situation, here are the things that I think you should tell your grandma.

I only take three classes at a time.

One of my favorite things about the trimester system is that Carleton students only take three classes at a time. The idea is that you only have ten weeks to finish the class, so they’re really intense. Even though three classes is lower than average, any Carleton student will tell you that three classes is plenty. Generally, students stick with three, but they sometimes add music lessons, PEs, or special lower workload classes that departments offer for less than the standard six credits.

I love only taking three classes at a time. It allows me to really focus on the classes that I’m taking and to do my best work. The ten-week format has been perfect for me and professors like that they have a lot of the student’s attention. This combined with Carleton’s small class sizes means that professors are more than available to students. It also means that if you really hate a class, it’s over quickly. As one of my professors so wisely put it, a trimester is the perfect amount of time to feel satisfied with a course without getting sick of your classmates.

I have a very long winter break.

The calendar of Carleton’s trimester system is what I might call perfection, as the terms line up really wonderfully with the seasons (more on trimester and season overlap in my blog post here). Students start in early September and fall term runs until Thanksgiving. It’s exactly the time you want to be in Minnesota in the fall– the leaves are turning, the Arb is beckoning for afternoon walks, and the coffee shops downtown are serving apple and pumpkin themed treats. Fall term ends, and winter break begins.

Winter break spans from Thanksgiving to New Years– a whole six weeks that students have off from school. I’m a big hometown person, so I prefer to spend my winter break driving around the suburbs of Boston and seeing my family and friends. Most Carleton students are more adventurous than that, though. They get externships through the Career Center, stay on campus to do faculty-led research, or get fellowships to travel abroad.

Winter break is the perfect mid-year reset, and unlike the traditional semester system, students never are enrolled in classes during breaks. This means no stressing about midterms or looming assignments when you are on break from school. I love nothing more than spending my break sleeping in and taking the time to read (for pleasure!) in my local library. It really is time that we’re lucky to have off.

I can study abroad more than once.

Carleton students have two options for studying abroad, approved non-Carleton programs or Carleton programs. Non-Carleton programs are typically done in the fall term, when a standard semester of college only overlaps with one Carleton term. These programs are fantastic opportunities to meet students from other colleges and expand your horizons. Carleton programs, though, fit neatly into a normal Carleton term. The flexibility of having access to shorter programs means that it’s easy for Carleton students to study abroad, and 75% of Carls do. It also means that it’s possible to study abroad multiple times while you’re at Carleton without feeling like you’re missing a whole year of the college experience.

Even as a sophomore, I’ve already had the opportunity to study abroad once (more on my experience here and how I picked my program here). I am also planning to go again and spend a whole ten weeks studying theater in London. I’m not the only Carl I know to have taken advantage of this flexibility– most of my friends at Carleton either have already studied abroad or have plans to go somewhere fantastic on the books.

So, what will I tell my grandma?

Obviously, you’ll tell her that the trimester system is a gift to Carleton students and that it makes the college experience really special! But would it also suffice to say “thanks” to the semester comment and call it a day? Sure, it might be easier.

Emma (she/her/hers) is a sophomore prospective Art History major/European Studies minor from Attleboro, Massachusetts. When she’s not in class, you can probably find Emma engrossed in a terribly long conversation in Burton Dining Hall, knitting at a Bald Spot picnic table, or perusing the museum studies stacks on third libe. Beyond blogging, she works for the Registrar’s Office, teaches adult tap dance classes downtown, and loves submitting to student publications like babyteeth and No Fidelity. She loves Carleton for the number of opportunities it offers and the close connections she’s formed with professors, not to mention proximity to coffee from Goodbye Blue Monday and early morning walks through the neighborhoods.